Review for Tuesday - 03/14/06 by Rich

The Rustenberg is a blend of merlot (68%) and cabernet sauvignon (32%) and the taste is a rollercoaster in your mouth, beginning with the smoothness of the merlot, rising to the tannins of the cabernet and descending back down to the merlot smoothness. The wine is well balanced, complex and a fine taste. It has also been described as 'bombastic' or flamboyant for those without a dictionary. This excellent wine also overcomes the cheapness wall. At $28, it may be the most expensive wine we have drank so far that everyone ranked as a Drink & Buy.

This Rhone style wine did not enthuse anyone. In fact, many of us felt it was too syrupy and sweet, doing better as a dessert wine (though it certainly was not made to be such.) Chris suggested it might be best draped over some French toast. Even for those who would drink it, it was not an enthused vote. For about $21, it definitely is not a good buy.

This is another more expensive wine, normally $30 but found on sale for $25. It was a drinkable Chianti, then went well with our delicious calzones (home made by Christy). But, it was not a special wine, and had nothing to justify its price as compared to a $10 Chianti. Maybe that was why it was on sale, that few were willing to pay $30 for such a generic and forgettable Chianti.

After two less than stellar wines, we have returned to a better wine. This cabernet, for about $16, was smooth, flavorful and enjoyable. It went well with the calzones and got a more enthusiastic reaction, especially after the last two wines. Like the first wine, everyone ranked this as a Drink & Buy.

And we end this evening with a dismal wine, a $7 sauvignon blanc that was much too sweet, bland in other respects and with nothing of value to entice people to drink it. Though the home-made truffles that we ate with the wine (also made by Christy) helped to tone down the sweetness some, it was not enough. Chris and John are not white wine fans and this wine certainly did nothing to change that fact.